News archive

Amman- 6 BirdLife Partners from the Middle East & Africa have concluded today a 3-day meeting in Amman for a collaborative discussion on the progress of the Migratory Soaring Birds (MSB) Project, which is funded by The Global Environment Facility (GEF) and executed by The United Nations Development Program (UNDP...

In cooperation with BirdLife International and the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN), EDAMA Association Energy, Water and Environment held on Tuesday September 17th 2019 their most recent Power Breakfast on Clean Energy & Safe Flyways. The event witnessed a remarkable discussion on integrating...

Lebanese President Michel Aoun launched three bird-themed stamps to celebrate World Migratory Bird Day, and to promote the awareness campaign, he launched to protect certain migratory birds in Lebanon. The postage stamps, which were unveiled during a celebration at Baabda Palace, had drawings of migratory birds that...

H.E Eng. Ibrahim Al-Shehadeh, Minister of Agriculture and Environment, has signed the Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Birds of Prey in Africa and Eurasia (Raptors MoU) on December 3rd to promote raptor conservation in Jordan. The signing ceremony was organized by the Royal Society for the...

As part of COP14 Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which is currently taking place in Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt, a side event was held on November 17 to discuss the implementation of the shutdown on Demand (SOD) method in windfarm projects at Gabel Al-Zayt, a bottleneck area for migratory birds.
Gabel El-Zayt...

The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN), hosted a lecture titled “Toward Zero Mortality of Soaring Birds on a Wind Farm in Jordan”. Mr. Tareq Qaneer, Head of Birds Projects Management Unit at RSCN, delivered the lecture on Monday, June 25, at Wild Jordan Center.
This awareness session took place as...

BirdLife Middle East took part in a productive meeting during the visit of H.E. Mr. Nayef Al-Fayez, Jordan’s Minister of Environment and his team to the UNDP Jordan Office on Wednesday May 16th. The Migratory Soaring Birds Project – Tranche II was presented at the meeting as the only regional environment project led...

“A Summit for the Flyways” united 100 different organisations from 70 different countries to address one problem: how to protect migratory birds on their incredible journey. And with millions of migratory birds passing through the Middle East, it was the perfect opportunity to tackle regional issues, too.
BirdLife...

Earlier this year, BirdLife held a 3-day workshop to mark the inception of Tranche II of the Migratory Soaring Birds (MSB) project, which is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and implemented by BirdLife International, through United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The Project is designed to unite...

The Ministry of Environment in Egypt announced the conclusion of the activities of the first ever meeting of the Intergovernmental Task Force on Illegal Killing on the Mediterranean region and launched "Cairo Declaration" to combat poaching of migratory birds. Dr. Mustafa Fouda Minister's Advisor for Biodiversity and...

The Sudanese Wildlife Society (SWS) held a one-day workshop to mark World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) on 23rd May 2016 under the Migratory Soaring Birds project executed by BirdLife International through United Nations Development Programme UNDP and funded by the Global Environment Fund GEF. That was hosted by the...

Egypt joins the world in celebrating the World Migratory Birds Day under the theme (Stop the illegal killing, Taking and Trade of Migratory Birds) on May 12th 2016.
The Migratory Soaring Birds MSB project executed by Birdlife International, supported by the United Nations Development Programme UNDP and funded by the...

The Migratory Soaring Birds project executed by BirdLife International supported by United Nations Development Programme UNDP and funded by the Global Environment Fund GEF, in collaboration with the Egyptian Ministry of Environment organized the first event to celebrate the World Migratory Bird Day under the theme (...

As the European summer turns into autumn, millions of birds will head to Africa using the world’s second most-used flyway of soaring birds across the Red Sea and the Rift Valley, over Egypt, Ethiopia, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. While many of these areas seem to be constantly in...

The BirdLife-led Migratory Soaring Birds (MSB) project has developed a guidebook that provides practical information to maximize the value that birds bring to the tourism industry while ensuring the conservation of their populations and habitats.
The global tourism industry is reaching new heights with an all-time...

The BirdLife-led MSB project has developed a set of guidelines for bird-sensitive agriculture development, in an effort to address threats caused by unsustainable agriculture practices and to help the agriculture sector with bird conservation.
Agriculture is an important sector in most regional economies,...

Bonn / Abu Dhabi, 13 July 2015 – Government officials, NGOs and experts from over 30 countries met from 5 to 8 July in Sofia, Bulgaria, to develop a Flyway Action Plan for the Egyptian Vulture. For the first time more than 70 representatives from Africa, Asia and Europe came together to save one of the most...

Spinning through flying space, three blade wind turbines are good for the climate, but are known to kill birds. Strategic positioning and shut downs during peak migrations help, but a Spanish company may have invented an even better solution that will come onto the market soon, the Vortex Bladeless…
(original article...

On the 25thof April 2015, two birdwatching towers funded by the MSB project were inaugurated in South Sinai, one at Ras Mohamed National Park and the other at Sharm El-Sheikh wastewater treatment ponds.
The southern tip of the Sinai peninsula is one of the most prized touristic destination of the Arab Republic of...

In a rare and strong move, the Lebanese Minister of Environment, H.E. Mohammad Machnouk, handed a letter to the Environment Attorney General of Mount Lebanon, judge Claude Ghanem, asking for the prosecution of 3 hunters that violated the law No. 580/2004.
The minister took the matters in hand when he was made aware of...

The Migratory Soaring Bird (MSB) sensitivity map tool was showcased at the prestigious 2015 world conference on "Wind Energy and Wildlife Impacts" (CWW 2015) organized by and held at the Technische Universität Berlin (Berlin Institute of Technology), on March 10, 11 and 12. The tool had caught the interest of the...

by Soraya Morayef - Al Fanar Media
Bird conservationists in Egypt are working with the country’s tourism sector on an educational program that would help protect millions of migratory birds and create a potentially profitable tourist activity: bird watching.
Egypt’s location on the Red Sea and Nile River makes it...

A call has been made for responsible use and a reduction of pesticides used in farm-based production in Ethiopia. This was during a stakeholder workshop held on 20th to 23rd February 2015 to raise awareness on safe use and mitigation of pesticides’ negative impacts on migratory soaring birds and other biodiversity in...

Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds have won the Renewables-Grid-Initiative(RGI) “Good Practice Award” in the environmental protection category. The award was presented at RGI’s annual conference in Brussels today, for their work on preventing bird deaths due to electrocution and collision with power lines...

The MSB project advocacy efforts in 2014 were rewarded when both Syrian and Lebanese governments signed the CMS Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Birds of Prey in Africa and Eurasia (Raptors MOU), which brings the total number of signatories to 50. The MSB project considers the signing of...

More than 50 environmental civil society organizations in Lebanon have signed the MSB project’s responsible hunting declaration. This symbolic yet meaningful gesture reflects the desire of the Lebanese civil society to see an end to the current long-lasting chaotic hunting situation in the country.
By signing this...

Two new global agreements have been reached that will help save migratory bird species across the world. The Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) agreed a set of guidelines to tackle causes of poisoning and ratified a ground-breaking action plan to save more than 400 bird species. ...

RSPB's Agriculture Policy Officer, Ellie Crane, is attending the Convention on Migratory Species Conference of the Parties in Quito - vital decisions are in the process of being made - here's a guest blog just in from Ellie.
Lead is nasty stuff. If it gets inside the human body it has multiple toxic effects – for...

The development of renewable energy is crucially important – but it must be in the right way and the right place. Without proper planning, energy developments, including wind turbines and power lines, can be a major threat to migratory birds. The Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) provides a unique forum to gather...

Syria is a country that distinguishes itself by both its remarkable avian diversity, with around 500 recorded birds species, and its infamous unregulated hunting situation that has been lasting for several years despite a nationwide hunting ban in place since the mid 90’s of the last century.
To remedy the current...

Although Vultures are often not well appreciated, they are magnificent birds that fulfil a vital role in the ecosystem and provide a major service to African society. By eating and cleaning up the remains of dead animals vultures prevent the spread of diseases like rabies and anthrax that are highly contagious to...

BirdLife has announced the appointment of Patricia Zurita as the new Chief Executive of the BirdLife International Partnership.
Currently Executive Director of the Critical Ecosystems Partnership Fund (CEPF) and a Vice President of Conservation International, Patricia will begin her new role on 1 February, 2015.
“...

World Migratory Bird Day 2014 – celebrated in over 70 countries on 10-11 May – focuses on the role sustainable tourism can play in conserving one of the world’s true natural wonders: the spectacular movements of migratory birds along their flyways.
Thanks to an innovative new project being led by the World Tourism...

Leaving is Living – Stop Illegal Killing of Migratory Birds
Migrating birds have no option; they have to face the challenges and dangers of migration in order to survive. And they do in the millions between their nesting and wintering grounds, twice every year. The EU Bird Directive protects all migratory species...

Agriculture is one of the most productive sectors in the Rift Valley / Red Sea flyway region, serving as the economic backbone of many countries who are still struggling to catapult themselves from poverty and achieve food security for their rising populations.
However, agriculture also poses serious threats to...

The notorious power line from Port Sudan to the Red Sea coast, which is estimated to have electrocuted hundreds and perhaps thousands of Endangered Egyptian Vultures Neophron percnopterus since its construction in the 1950s, has been switched off.
This decisive action by the Sudanese government and power company...

In October 2013, Dr. Ivan Scrase from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, BirdLife UK, and Mr. Julien Jreissati from the Migratory Soaring Birds project were interviewed by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) on public support for renewable energy.
Dr. Scrase and Mr. Jreissati highlighted...

Hunters from Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Yemen and Ethiopia have signed a Regional Declaration on Responsible Hunting [1], at a ceremony organised by the BirdLife International and UNDP/GEF Migratory Soaring Birds (MSB) project in coordination with the Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon (...

In May 2013, the Syrian government established a committee responsible for drafting a new hunting law and developing the required implementation decrees. SSCW is part of this committee along with representatives from various ministries and agencies. During this transitional situation with regards to the hunting scene...

On 7-9 October 2013, Birdlife International participated to a workshop on strengthening social acceptance and dispelling lingering misconceptions about renewable energy hosted by The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The workshop highlighted the importance of addressing public concerns...

Egypt becomes the 45th signatory to the Raptor MoU
On Monday the 9th of September 2013, the CEO of the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA), MSB project partner in Egypt, Dr. Fatma Abou Shouk, signed on behalf of the Egyptian government the Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Birds of...

A workshop of the Migratory Soaring Birds (MSB) project has prompted the Sudanese government to replace one of the most deadly power lines in Africa for large migratory birds, the Port Sudan “killer line”.
In particular the 31-km long power line is estimated to have killed hundreds and perhaps thousands of Egyptian...

The following post was written by Patricia Bliss-Guest, Program Manager for the Climate Invest Fund (CIF). Original article can be found on climateinvestmentfunds.org
On June 21, 2013, I shared the platform with former U.S. Treasury Secretary, Hank Paulson Jr., and other dignitaries to exchange views about the...

On the 17 and 18 of May 2013 the Ethiopian Wildlife and Natural History Society (EWNHS), MSB project partner in Ethiopia, and the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority (EWCA) jointly organized the celebration of the World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD). The celebration of the event comprised two parts. The first part...

It is often suggested that birds and wind energy are incompatible. While it is true that poorly located wind farms can impact on birds (through causing injury or mortality if birds collide with the turbines, or by displacing sensitive species), bird conservationists and wind farm developers are working towards the...

'Planning Naturally - Spatial planning with nature in mind: in the UK and beyond' has been produced by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), the Royal Town Planning Institute and the Chartered Institute of Ecology And Environmental Management and was launched on the 11th of July 2013.
This report aim...

The BirdLife World Congress, that brought together nearly 600 conservationists from 120 countries, held an important workshop entitled The right renewables? – wind power, bioenergy and biodiversity. The session saw the participation of high profile people in the renewable energy sector such as Mr. Henry Paulson Junior...

On Sunday the 19th of May 2013, the Syrian Society for Conservation of Wildlife (SSCW, BirdLife Partner) held a national workshop on the status of the Northern Bald Ibis and the Sociable Lapwing which provided explicit recommendations for the conservation of these two critically endangered birds. The workshop held...

The Lebanon Mountain Trail Association (LMTA) launched on March 30, 2013 its fifth annual thru-walk from Andaket in North Lebanon. This year, 150 hikers from 9 countries will spend up to 28 days on the trail, walking for birds and promoting new hunting regulations and sensitizing trailside communities (about 70...

It was with great sadness that BirdLife learned of the recent death of Mindy Baha El Din, a vocal campaigner and pioneer of conservation in Egypt.
Mindy’s long relationship with BirdLife began in 1988 when she was tasked with the running of an education project at Cairo Zoo in Egypt and the publication of the country’...

The Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA), the Migratory Soaring Birds project’s national partner in Egypt, and the New and Renewable Energy Authority (NREA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) crystallising their collaboration for bird sensitive energy development in Egypt.
This MoU will promote...

Regional Workshop on Mainstreaming Migratory Soaring Birds’ Considerations in the Energy Sector
Date: 16-17 December 2012
Location: Cairo, Egypt
Under the patronage of the Egyptian Ministry of State for Environmental Affairs/Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency and on behalf of the BirdLife International / UNDP-GEF...

Stakeholders from Ethiopia’s energy sector and civil society organisations recently discussed the common need to promote renewable energy while ensuring that considerations of the risks to migratory soaring birds are made during the planning and operational processes of wind, solar and transmission lines...

Thursday the 13th of October concluded a series of 11 workshops held by the Migratory Soaring Birds project across the country. These workshops destined to train the Lebanese interior security forces, forest guards, guards of protected areas and municipality police on bird identification and the enforcement of hunting...

On Friday the 29th of June 2012, the MSB project in Egypt signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Jaz Hotels, Resorts and Cruises to facilitate the integration of birds’ conservation in the strategy and management of their hotels and activities.
With this agreement, Jaz hotels and the MSB project now share...

From the 2nd to the 5th of July 2012, the Migratory Soaring Birds project held a regional communication workshop that gathered more than 30 people, project partners and observers, from more than 10 countries.
The workshop tackled the fundamentals of strategic communication as a tool for conservation professionals....

MSB project celebration of World Migratory Bird Day 2012 met with important participation of local communities, farmers, hunters, tourist guides and children from several countries along the Rift Valley/Red Sea flyway. These awareness events raised the importance of conserving soaring birds to humans and their...

BirdLife International UNDP/GEF Migratory Soaring Birds project will celebrate the World Migratory Bird Day in six countries along the Rift Valley/Red Sea flyway!
On May 12-13, the BirdLife International UNDP/GEF Migratory Soaring Birds project will rally up and join the long list of events from around the globe that...

BirdLife International and its Partners concluded a productive three day regional workshop which brought together representatives from governments and NGOs on mainstreaming the conservation of migratory soaring birds (MSBs) into the hunting sector along the Rift Valley / Red Sea flyway.
Major achievements ...

Former Minister of Environment Tariq Al Khatib honored Assad Serhal, the Director General of Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon – SPNL (Birdlife Lebanon), on behalf of President Michel Aoun for being named one of the winners of the 2018 MIDORI Prize for Biodiversity. At the awarding ceremony, held by the...

Egypt joins the world in celebrating the World Migratory Birds Day under the theme (Stop the illegal killing, Taking and Trade of Migratory Birds) on May 12th 2016.
The Migratory Soaring Birds MSB project executed by Birdlife International, supported by the United Nations Development Programme UNDP and funded by the...